As they have often done in their recent history, Sassuolo are hiring an up-and-coming coach. They have poached Alessio Dionisi from Empoli, beating the competition coming from Sampdoria. He replaces Roberto De Zerbi, who signed with Shakhtar Donetsk at the end of his contract.
The new Sassuolo manager is fresh off the promotion as the Azzurri dominated Serie B in 2020-21. They clinched with two games to go, finishing with a four-point lead over Salernitana and a nine-point one over Monza, which qualified for the playoffs. They amassed 19 wins, 16 draws, and only three losses.
The 41-year-old coach was in Serie D up until the 2017-2018 campaign. Then, he was noticed by Imolese and moved up to Lega Pro. He led the small-town club to their first playoff berth in their history. He was hired by Venezia in the second division the following year. After easily avoiding relegation, he moved to Empoli.
His scheme generally employs a similar philosophy to what has been the Neroverdi‘s one lately. However, he utilizes 4-3-1-2, while the Sassuolo generally field two wingers. Empoli will reportedly get a player on loan for allowing Dionisi to rescind his contract. He inked a two-year deal with an optional third one.
Sassuolo finished eighth in the past season, on a par with Roma but behind because of head-to-head matches. They were in the running for a European Conference Cup berth until the final match-day, where they defeated Lazio. However, the Giallorossi mounted a late comeback against Spezia, garnering the point they needed.